Item of InterestCalifornia Watch: Last week, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved new standards for showerheads, bathroom faucets and more. The current California showerhead standard is 2.5 gallons per minute. CalGreen code, the California plumbing code and the voluntary WaterSense specifications are all 2.0 gallons per minute. Standards adopted last week will require that all showerheads not exceed 2.0 gallons per minute maximum flow rate. This applies to fixed and handheld showerheads as well as horizontal body sprayers manufactured on or after July 1, 2016. The standard for showerheads will change to 1.8 gallons per minute maximum flow rate starting July 1, 2018.

ASA's distributor and manufacturer members testified before the CEC in May indicating the challenges faced by the distribution channel at meeting previously mandated sell dates. We have been told that sellers will have the opportunity for residential lavatory faucets and showerheads manufactured prior to July 1, 2016, to be sold-through that effective date for the manufacture of 1.2 gpm max residential lavatory faucets and 2.0 gpm max showerheads. Read the full proposal here.

California Will Soon Have Toughest Showerhead Requirements in NationLos Angeles TimesThe flow of water from showerheads and bathroom faucets in California will be sharply reduced under strict new limits approved Aug. 12 by the state Energy Commission.
Current rules, established in 1994 at the federal level, allow a maximum flow of 2.5 gallons per minute from a showerhead.

Energy Commission Approves New Standards to Save 38 Billion Gallons of WaterCalifornia Energy CommissionIn response to the state's historic drought and to prepare for the next one, the California Energy Commission approved new standards for showerheads Aug. 12. The standards are expected to save more than 2.4 billion gallons of water in the first year and 38 billion gallons after full stock turnover in 10 years. The commission also voted to change the start date for the recently adopted standard for lavatory faucets.

Businesses Brace for Game-Changing Labor DecisionThe Hill The National Labor Relations Board is widely expected to rule by month's end that Browning-Ferris Industries, a Houston-based waste-disposal company, is a joint employer of workers provided to the firm by a staffing agency, experts say. As a result, the company would be forced to collectively bargain with those employees and could be held liable for any labor violations committed against them.

Hotline's Senate Rankings: The Senate Seats Most Likely to Flip in 2016National Journal Much has changed since our spring Senate power rankings. Some previously unexpected candidates like Alan Grayson and Joe Heck have jumped in, while some anticipated ones like Kay Hagan have passed on the 2016 elections. One thing we do know, though, is that the race for control of the Senate remains precariously balanced between the two parties.